5-Star Roofing Contractor Clackamas - Your Local Choice for Installation and Repair

Clackamas Is Not a City, and That Changes Your Permit

Worth knowing before you call anyone: Clackamas is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County. There is no Clackamas city hall and no Clackamas building department. The county issues the permits, and it says so plainly: for unincorporated areas of Clackamas County, “the county is responsible for issuing all types of building permits. For assistance, call 503-742-4240.”

So if you are told to ring the city about your roof, you have been given the wrong instruction. It is the county Building Codes Division, on 503-742-4240.

Do You Need a Permit to Reroof in Clackamas?

It depends on how far the job goes. Under the Oregon rule the county enforces, a permit is required for “applying roofing when all of the old roofing is removed, and all new roof sheathing is installed.” A permit is not required for “replacing roofing where the weight of the replacement or repair does not exceed 30 percent of the roof’s required live load design capacity and is not required to be fire resistant.”

The Two-Layer Rule Most People Have Never Heard Of

The Oregon Residential Specialty Code does not let you keep stacking shingles. A roof recover is not permitted “where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering,” and a roof replacement “shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck.”

There is a second one worth knowing if your house has old cedar. Where a new covering goes over wood shingle or shake and creates a combustible concealed space, the code requires the entire existing surface to be covered with gypsum board, mineral fiber, glass fiber or another approved material, fastened in place.

This is where cheap quotes come from. Somebody offers to lay a third layer, or to go straight over old shakes without the fire barrier, and it is hundreds of dollars less because it skips work the code requires. We count the layers on the first visit and tell you what your roof actually needs.

What the Weather Does to a Roof Here

Clackamas gets about 46 inches of rain a year. December runs close to nine inches; July averages half an inch. A roof here does not usually fail in a storm. It fails from being wet for seven months a year, every year.

Moss is the other half of that. Oregon State University Extension states it flatly: in the moist Pacific Northwest, moss on roofs is inevitable. The moss is not what breaks the roof. It holds soil and water against the shingles, and on asphalt and metal it lifts them until water gets underneath. Do not pressure wash it, which OSU warns damages shingles outright, and do not expect a clean to last: if the roof stays shaded and damp, it grows straight back.

The Clackamas Area We Cover

The Clackamas Town Center area, Sunnyside, Carver, Damascus, Oak Grove and the surrounding unincorporated county, along the 205 and out along Highway 212 and 224. We are up the road in Gresham, which keeps us close to this whole corridor.

Clackamas Roofing Questions We Get Asked

Do I call the city or the county for a roofing permit in Clackamas?

The county. Clackamas is an unincorporated community, so there is no city building department. Clackamas County issues all building permits for unincorporated areas and can be reached on 503-742-4240.

Do I need a permit to reroof in Clackamas?

For a full tear-off with new sheathing, yes. For a lighter replacement or repair where the weight does not exceed 30 percent of the roof’s required live load design capacity and fire resistance is not required, no. We tell you which one your job is before we price it.

Can I put new shingles over the old ones?

Only if your roof carries a single layer now. The code does not permit a recover where the existing roof already has two or more applications of any roof covering, and a replacement has to come off down to the deck. If a quote is unusually cheap, this is often why.

My house has old cedar shakes. Does that change anything?

Yes. Where a new covering over wood shingle or shake creates a combustible concealed space, the entire existing surface has to be covered with gypsum board, mineral fiber, glass fiber or another approved material first. It is real work and it belongs in the quote.

Why does the moss keep coming back on my roof?

Because the cleaning removed the moss and left the shade. OSU Extension’s advice is to change the environment. Along the creek corridors out here the tree cover is the environment, and pruning it back does more for the roof than anything sold in a bottle.

When is the best time of year to reroof in Clackamas?

July and August are much the driest, half an inch of rain against nearly nine in December. We keep going through the wet months too, because a roof needs a dry window and the county hands those out in every month.

What does a new roof cost in Clackamas?

Square footage, pitch, material, and above all the layer count, because two layers means a tear-off rather than an overlay and that is a different job with a different price. We count them before quoting, which is why our number sometimes sits above one that did not bother to look.

Are you licensed and insured?

Oregon CCB#214272 and Washington FOXRORC743JT, bonded and insured, ShingleMaster certified. Clackamas County inspects the work it permits, so out here the licence is not paperwork, it is what lets the job pass.